Email YOUR Questions directly to the Stream
Doctor. This is your opportunity to get an experts
professional opinion on anything stream related.

Q.
After a female dun lays her eggs, how much time does she have before she dies?

A.
First of all, the dun does not lay eggs; this is the
subimago stage that lasts for minutes to hours before
the adult reaches the imago, or egg-laying stage.

The adult egg-laying stage lasts from minutes to weeks,
depending on the species. Those species that rest on
the surface when depositing their eggs usually expire
there. Adults of most species live from two hours to
three days, although some last less than 90 minutes.
Some species that hold their eggs until they are ready
to hatch may live for several weeks; Callibaetis
is such a species. In some species, emerging, mating,
egg-laying, and death may all occur within a few hours.

The 'Stream Doctor' is a retired professional stream ecologist and
author, now living in the West and spending way too much time
fly-fishing. You are invited to submit questions relating to
anything stream related directly to him for use in this Q & A Feature
at streamdoctor@aol.com.

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